Department of Fish and Game BOARDS SUPPORT SECTION Headquarters Office 1255 West 8th Street P.O. Box 115526 Juneau, Alaska 99811-5526 Main: 907.465.4110 Fax: 907.465.6094 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=fisheriesboard.main Reviewer Letter PLEASE READ CAREFULLY July 2021 The Alaska Board of Fisheries (board) will consider this book of regulatory proposals at its meetings from November 2021 through March 2022. The proposals concern changes to the state’s fishing regulations submitted timely by members of the public, organizations, advisory committees, and ADF&G staff. Proposals are published essentially as received, with the exception of minor edits and removal of graphics and web links. If you submitted a proposal and find the published version does not reflect your intent, please contact Boards Support as soon as possible. COVID-19 Mitigation Plan. During its 2020/2021 meeting cycle, due to the COVID-19 global pandemic the board postponed its regulatory meetings to 2021/2022. As we move into the 2021/2022 meeting cycle, both the board and ADF&G intend to return to in-person meetings as identified in this book. However, at the time of this publication it is difficult to predict what complications related to COVID-19 will persist as we approach the meetings. Individuals wishing to attend in-person meetings are advised ADF&G will employ a COVID-19 mitigation plan that complies with the state and hosting community mitigation requirements. While the details of that plan remain to be finalized, it will allow for a range of mitigation measures depending on the status of COVID-19 in the state and meeting community. The plan will also likely involve participant registration and agreement to abide by mitigation measures at the meeting. The mitigation plan will be published well before the board’s October work session and ADF&G will work to provide consistent and clear communication to participants leading up to and during the meeting. For those unable to attend in-person, written comments are accepted before and during the meeting. Proposals. Proposals are often presented as brief statements summarizing intended regulation changes. Proposed changes are also often written in accordance with the Department of Law’s drafting standards: additions are bolded and underlined while deletions are [BRACKETED AND CAPITALIZED]. Reading all proposals in this book is encouraged. Proposals may apply statewide, affect one region or fishery of the state, or recommend change to multiple fisheries within an area. The proposals are grouped by board meeting (see the Proposal Index). Within each meeting, proposals are organized by region, fishery, or species. This book notes if a proposal will be heard at more than one meeting. About two weeks before each meeting, the board makes a “roadmap” with the tentative order 2021/2022 Meeting Cycle Proposal Book Reviewer Letter proposals will be considered and deliberated on. This usually differs from the order proposals are listed here. Then, the board develops an agenda for each meeting to coordinate with the roadmap. Public comment requested. The board relies on written comments and oral testimony. Public comment, in combination with advisory committee recommendations and ADF&G staff presentations, provide the board with useful biological and socioeconomic information. Written comments become public documents. Submit your comments. Online boardoffisheries.adfg.alaska.gov Email [email protected] Fax (907) 465-6094 Mail P.O. Box 115526 Juneau, AK 99811-5526 More about public comments. Comments must be received by each meeting’s deadline (typically two weeks prior to a meeting - see the Tentative Meeting Schedule). They are included as part of board member workbooks, listed in each meeting’s Index of Comments, and posted on the Boards Support website in advance of the meeting. Requirements include: • Received by mail, email, fax, in office, or through the Boards Support website. • 100 single-sided pages or less from any one individual or group. • Fits on 8½” x 11” paper with adequate margins for three-hole punching. If submitted through email, send as a single Adobe PDF. • Web links to external documents or multimedia are not accepted. • Include the author’s name and contact information. • For charts or graphs, cite the source. Record copies. Written materials received after the on-time deadline, including during board meetings, are termed “record copies”. Requirements are the same as above, except: • Comments are not accepted via email after the on-time deadline. • Prior to the start of a meeting, comments may be submitted by mail, fax, or hand delivered in office. • After the start of a meeting, comments may be submitted in person at the meeting. Copies will need to be provided. The actual number of copies needed is posted at the meeting, usually ~25, and may change throughout the duration of the meeting. Comments are also accepted by fax during meetings for those not able to attend. • 10 single-sided pages or less from any one individual or group per proposal until the board begins deliberations on proposals. Once deliberations start, no more than five single-sided pages. Oral testimony. The board welcomes oral testimony at each regularly scheduled regulatory meeting. Testimony generally begins the first day of the meeting, extending as long as necessary. There is a sign- up period for testimony at each meeting, found on the meeting agenda. Each person who wishes to speak is generally allotted three minutes for testimony. Advisory committee, federal regional advisory council, and Pacific Northwest Crab Industry Advisory Committee representatives are generally allotted 10 minutes. Page 2 2021/2022 Meeting Cycle Proposal Book Reviewer Letter Tips for comments. • Identify proposal(s). Clearly state the proposal number you wish to discuss and if you support or oppose the proposal. If the comments support a modification in the proposal, indicate “support as amended” with the preferred amendment in writing. • Commenting on more than one proposal. If making comments on more than one proposal, simply list the next proposal number followed by your comments. There is no need for separate pages or to submit multiple comments. • Explain why. Help the board understand your rationale by identifying factors to take into account when acting on a proposal. • Keep comments brief and clear. Board members are extremely busy. Clearly stating proposal numbers and one’s position with supporting rationale will assist board members. • Follow the requirements. Pages in excess of the page limit and comments not in the proper format will be discarded. Testimony greater than the allotted time will be cut short. • The sooner the better. As a practical matter comments submitted after the board begins deliberations are likely to receive less consideration than comments submitted earlier. • Write clearly. Whether typed or handwritten, use dark ink and write legibly. • Use the committee process for detailed comments. The board considers specific proposals, grouped by subject, during committees as a way to receive much greater detail from the participating public. Public testimony should be tailored to encompass major items of importance. Fine details may be reserved for committee work. • Be polite. Inflammatory material may be excluded or redacted, and public testimony may be cut short. Advisory committees. Advisory committees written recommendations should be submitted in the format prescribed by the board; boards staff can provide the right form. Recommendations should note the number of committee members in attendance as well as other stakeholders in attendance during meetings. Remember, advisory committee recommendations must be developed at a meeting where the conditions of the Open Meetings Act (AS 44.62.310) were met. When providing public testimony, provide commentary and explain the committee’s current discussion. Expressing minority opinions is helpful. Reading off proposal numbers and committee recommendations is difficult to follow; your written comments should cover this sort of summary. For additional information on providing public comment, refer to the Advisory Committee Manual. Additional instructions for advisory committee chairs. Advisory committee chairs are responsible for calling committee meetings to review proposals and provide recommendations. In order to efficiently budget and provide for travel, pre-planning is essential. Chairs are to identify to Boards Support by November 15 if they anticipate an advisory committee representative might attend one of the meetings. Failure to provide early notice may prevent the advisory committee from traveling should adequate funding be unavailable. Special notes. The board applies various statutes and policies when considering proposals. When addressing proposals affecting subsistence uses, the board provides for a reasonable opportunity for subsistence consistent with Alaska Statute 16.05.258 and regulation 5 AAC 99.010(b). When addressing allocations among commercial, sport, guided sport, and/or personal use fisheries, the board applies its Allocation Criteria (AS 16.05.251(e)). When addressing salmon fisheries it may apply the Mixed Stock Salmon Policy (5 AAC 39.220) and the Sustainable Salmon Fisheries Policy (5 AAC 39.222). You may wish to review these statutes, regulations, and policies when preparing comments for the board. See the board’s website or call Boards Support staff listed in this book to learn